The present invention relates generally to library inventory and circulation control systems, and particularly to such systems which use RFID tags on books and the like.
Libraries face an enormous task of maintaining and controlling large inventories of books, periodicals, audio-visual products, and the like. To facilitate check-in/checkout, inventorying, and theft control of articles in the library collection, most libraries place bar codes and/or sensitizable magnetic strips on the articles. The bar codes allow the articles to be quickly identified using a scanner. The magnetic strip is used in conjunction with a magnetic detection device at the library exit for theft control. The magnetic strip is normally sensitized. When a patron checks out an article, the magnetic strip is desensitized. When the patron returns the article to the library, the magnetic strip is resensitized. The magnetic detection device triggers an alarm if a patron attempts to pass through a controlled exit carrying an article with a sensitized magnetic strip.
Magnetic strip-based systems have numerous disadvantages. Special equipment must be used to desensitize and resensitize the magnetic strips. Typically, library personnel must operate the equipment to ensure that check-in and checkout is performed accurately. An example of such a system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,078 (Bridges, Jr. et al.). Another library check-in/checkout system which relies upon tagged articles and which is designed to be operated solely by a patron is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,980 (Patel et al.). Yet another general purpose article inventory control system suitable for use in a library is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,061 (Chambers).
Existing library procedures for handling articles are time consuming and lead to many errors. Reshelving articles is a particularly error-prone, time consuming task. Many articles are returned to the wrong location in the library and are subsequently presumed to be lost until discovered during full inventory checks. Furthermore, taking inventory of a library collection is currently such an expensive and time consuming task that most libraries do not conduct a full inventory check as frequently as they should, if at all.
Libraries often review checkout data to determine which articles are of the most interest to their patrons. This information may be used to make decisions about new purchases or to better allocate existing resources. However, libraries fail to capture a large amount of information regarding usage of their collection by patrons who do not check out the articles but who use the articles while in the library. In fact, so-called "internal circulation" makes up 2/3 to 3/4 of the total circulation of many libraries. Thus, checkout data fails to accurately measure which articles are of interest to certain patrons.
The largest expense in running a library is personnel costs. Libraries are constantly searching for ways to perform necessary functions with less employees.
Accordingly, there is still a need for systems which allow library employees to further reduce the time and effort spent in article handling, and which provide library managers with better information about how their collection is being used. The present invention fills these needs.